BC Refugees Blog

  HARLAN ELLISON’S PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES #1 – 4 (IDW 2010)  Written by Harlan Ellison, Art by Alan Robinson, Colors by Kote Carvajal, Letters by Robbie Robbins.      (NOTE: IDW on December 16, 2010 announced plans for a hardcover edition of the graphic novel with a release date yet to be determined.) I wish I could meet someone as they explore science fiction literature for the first time, someone looking for a few recommended works, or a list of ten or more short stories and novels to begin their readings with. PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES would be right among the top choices on my list of best science fiction works of all time  - - - it’s a great example of the power of imagination as well as the ability of the genre to stimulate thought and shape opinions on socially important issues.   The four issue mini-series is a perfect format to adapt this great work to comics.  Having the original author, Harlan Ellison, write the script...

More minimally edited "off the top of my head" impressions... Batman 698-705: Don't remember much about Tony Daniel's Riddler story in #698-99. LOVED Morrison's tale of three Batmen in #700 and the bridge between RIP and Final Crisis in #701-702. #703 kicked off the Vicki Vale plot that I liked in "Road Home". Daniel's back in #704-705, and I like that he's including some scenes with Dick representing the Wayne Foundation plus a nice mix of new characters and old ones that haven't been seen in a while. Batman and Robin 12-18 : I loved how the structure of "Batman & Robin must die" was basically the inverse of "RIP", and as I said before I enjoyed how all the pieces came together at the end. I'm not sure I could explain out loud what it all means and precisely how it all fits together, but I think I understand it in my head (if that makes any sense.) I wouldn't want to see everyone attempt this style of en...

Continuing my off-the-cuff remarks, trying to mention most of what's been gathering dust in my "read" pile... 27 #1-2:  I initially only picked this up because  Bleeding Cool made a big deal about it , but I've wound up liking it so far. It's got a similar "power of music" vibe to Kieron Gillen's Phonogram, but in a much darker way. A 27 year-old injured rock guitarist gets an experimental treatment from a mad scientist, but the "cure" attracts unwanted attention from ghosts and other extradimensional entities. Are they responsible for all the musicians (Kurt Cobain, etc.) that died at the age of 27? There's also some interesting math stuff in #2 that this nerd enjoyed. The book is a little oversized, which I know bothers some people, but I think it gives the moody art room to breathe. These issues are potentially hard to find, but I didn't have any trouble ordering them online. Chaos War 1-4: This is the 8th and final arc of t...

At one point a few months back I was contemplating trying to organize a BC Refugees Annual Awards and hinted at it in one of my reviews.  Time marched on and I never acted on that impulse.  Then I thought about doing my own version of the “Best Of”  awards for 2010.  But I wouldn’t feel right about selecting “best of” books unless I had the opportunity to read the majority of what was published in 2010 - -  and who has that kind of time?   For as much time as I devoted to this blog, I still only wrote about 75 individual issues during the past 12 months.  That hardly qualifies me as a judge of what is “best”. However, not doing anything isn’t satisfying my urges - - so I offer this compromise.   I’m not going to even venture to select the cream of the 2010 crop or even label one book as “the best” in category, etc.  I’m going to offer some suggested reading instead. These are my guidelines/rules: 1) It has to be something that...

Generally, even though I don't consider what I do here proper "reviews", I do go back through the issues to remind myself of details and to pull out a scene or a quote to reference. But I'll never get through all the books I haven't had time to write about if I do that, so I'm just going to go through the pile and give whatever impressions I remember. If there's anything you'd like me to go into in more depth, let me know in the comments and I'll try to go back to it. Action Comics 890-896: Paul Cornell's doing a great job with Luthor, and Pete Woods' art is great as usual. The slight tweak to Lex's character after "Blackest Night" makes him a little vulnerable, and therefore more interesting, and I like the hints that higher powers are interested in what he's up to. The Death appearance in #894 was great, and if Cornell didn't get dialog help from Gail Simone for the Secret Six crossover in #896 then he managed to g...

I'm working on a couple of entries for later in the week: A "lightning round" post to clear out all the comics I haven't written about yet this year, and a compare-and-contrast of "Superman: Earth One", "Superman: Secret Origin", "Superman: Birthright" and "Absolute All-Star Superman". In the meantime, since it's relevant to the first six issues of Brian Bendis' "Avengers", I wanted to mention that Disney XD is running the animated "Next Avengers" movie this Friday (12/31) at 4pm. It's the best of the Marvel DVDs so far (not counting "Hulk vs.", which I haven't seen) and I'm told that kids especially enjoy it. (That's how the characters wound up in "Avengers" actually, Bendis' daughter loved the movie.)

THE 120 DAYS OF SIMON  (Top Shelf, April 2010 graphic novel)  subtitled: A Graphic Odyssey Through Sweden.  Written and illustrated by Simon Gardenfors.  Black and White.  Paperback edition, 416 pages.  $14.95  www.topshelfcomix.com   FOR MATURE READERS . Consider the lifestyle of Simon Gardenfors first before you draw any conclusions about the lifestyles of modern Sweden.   Gardenfors  is a “self-advertised, couch-surfing freeloader”as described by Peter Bagge on the back-cover testimonials.  Can the values of young adults and Swedish society be that free-wheeling?  I’m a little amazed, and maybe a little jealous.  (If I was a lot younger I’d be very jealous – and considering a move to an art community in Sweden). Casual sex comes very easily to Simon, and he doesn’t mind sharing his bedroom experiences right out in the open in THE 120 DAYS OF SIMON.  But the sharing doesn’t stop there.  Gardenfors seem...

THE TRAVELER #2  (Boom! Studios, December 22, 2010 release)  Concepts by Stan Lee. Written by Mark Waid. Drawn by Chad Hardin. Colors by Blond. Letters by Ed Dukeshire. Covers by Scott Clark and Chad Hardin. By necessity, TRAVELER Issue #1 was fast and furious.  Now that the set-up details have been taken care of - - just give Mark Waid a little breathing room and watch him go!   He starts to flesh out the characters more, give some more detail but also hold some back in order to build  the mystery, all while never forgetting the action that keeps everything moving.  Also, now that artist Chad Hardin has had one issues’ worth of experience to get familiar with drawing the primary characters - - he also stretches and expands his style, especially in the awesome action scenes .      It’s a nice change of pace to have some super-hero titles that aren’t based in major metropolitan areas (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc)....

  I don’t read BATMAN titles on a regular basis.  I did come back for awhile right after BATMAN: R.I.P. (which I haven’t read yet) and sampled the new DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN AND ROBIN (Issue #1), BATGIRL, STREETS OF GOTHAM, RED ROBIN and BATMAN (Dick Grayson)  - - and even wrote about some of them here.  I liked all of them  - - just made a budget decision not to try and follow them all.  Eventually I weaned every one of those titles from my monthly buys. However, reading them prompted me to check out the back history and a noted Bat-scholar (name of Bill) told me I needed to start with the BATMAN AND SON trade paperback.  So, I’ve been buying some of those trades and stock-piling them for that rainy day. Recently, I picked up BATMAN, INCORPORATED  #1 out of the blue (should that be out of the black?) and BATMAN: THE RETURN one-shot and read them without benefit of having gone through all that back-story first  (including THE RETURN O...

Continuing a series featuring select comics-themed podcasts, I return to another one of rather local origin:  COMIC BOOK DINER. http://www.sky-dog.com/comicbookdiner/ Subtitled “The Art And Business Of Comics”  this podcast is different from the others I’ve been listening to.  Rather than focus on reviews or analysis of current books, writers and/or artists COMIC BOOK DINER concerns itself with matters related to independent creators, and is geared towards providing assistance, guidance and tips. You don’t need to be actively involved as a writer, artist or creator to appreciate the content, as COMIC BOOK DINER is mostly informal and remains interesting to anyone who wants a little glimpse “behind the scenes.”  All the presenters are likeable and “down to earth” rather than aloof or preachy.  They have all collaborated on various works or participated in workshops and convention appearances together, so there is a familiarity and friendship that comes ...

Just random ramblings, that’s all . . . . . but a little author-focused this time One of the joys of this  comic book hobby is the “fresh find” - - - picking up a new title or first reading/viewing of a writer or artist that impresses or delights you.   In a time of penny-pinching and monthly comics budgets, it’s especially comforting when the discovery rewards your investment of time and money.  Many of us, after discovering a writer or artist that we enjoy want to explore more of their work. There’s always a risk and a reluctance to do so - - “if I pick up this other title will I be able to easily comprehend the continuity and back-story?  . . . . Or will I understand it, but then get involved in a complex (but interesting) storyline that requires me to keep buying more issues?” One of those “fresh” discoveries for me was a new title, SOLDIER ZERO from Boom!, and writer Paul Cornell.  When I learned that he was scripting ACTION COMICS at DC my inter...

BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN  #1  (Moonstone Books, November 2010 – black and white)  Created by J.C.  Vaughn. Various writers and artists. Covers by Mark Wheatley and Jacob Jordan. The horror anthology comic seems to be making a comeback.  First the revived CREEPY debuts at Dark Horse Comics.  Then Monsterverse  releases BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE.  The latest, BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN, is the new  entry from Moonstone Books.  Add to this the five-issue EDGE OF DOOM min-series of stand-alone horror tales from IDW and you have a quirky quartet of tales to chill and thrill.  Hopefully, these books will make enough of a sales impact to merit their continued publication.  I’d like to see that, as they are all worthwhile. BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN is the brainchild of J. C. Vaughn, who also created the narrator/host and writes the transitional segments between the s...